Euro zone investor morale rises for third consecutive month

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Investor morale in the euro zone picked up for a third consecutive month in January to its highest level since June 2022, but remained in negative territory reflecting a challenging economic situation, a survey showed on Monday.

Sentix's index for the euro zone rose to -17.5 points for January from -21.0 in December, surpassing analyst expectations for a reading of -18.0.

"The January data in the sentix economic indices indicate a further improvement," Sentix Managing Director Patrick Hussy said in a statement.

"(But) There is virtually no change in the assessment of the current situation, with only the expectations values signalling a greater easing of the situation."

An expectations index rose to -15.8 from -22.0 in December, the highest level since February 2022. An index on the current situation in the euro zone also rose to -19.3 from -20.0, the highest since August 2022 and also the third consecutive rise.

The poll of 1,228 investors was conducted between Jan. 5 and Jan. 7, Sentix said.

(Reporting by Christoph Steitz; Editing by David Holmes)